THE CHEMOPROPHYLACTIC EFFICACY OF KELAMIDIUM IN ALBINO RATS EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI.

Abstract

The chemoprophylactic efficacy of Kelamidium (a brand of Isometamidium chloride) was investigated in Trypanosoma brucei infected albino rats. A total of25female albino rats divided intofive groups (I- V) of five rats each were usedfor the study. Group I served as uninfected control, group Ilas the infected control and groups III, IVand Vpre-treated with Kelamidium* at day zero and infected at 8,10 and 12 weeks respectively with l(f trypanosomes suspended in 0.2ml of normal saline. The packed cell volume (PCV), paras itaemia, and total leucocyte count were used to assess the efficacy of Kelamidium*. The infection established parasitaemia in groups IV and V which were pre-treated at day zero with Kelamidium*, whereas no parasitaemia was recorded in group III throughout the experimental period. The infection took a chronic course in the untreated control, however only one rat showed the infection till the end of the experiment. The failure of infection to establish in rats of group III shows that Kelamidium⁹ was protective up to 8 weeks. It was concluded that the chemoprophylactic efficacy of Kelamidium¹ at 1. Omg/kg is protective in albino rats for 8 weeks only